 | Scott Francis is the owner of Lytton’s Furniture located at 61st North and Hydraulic. He has been in the furniture industry for over 20 years, starting with Razook’s Furniture back in 1984 and also working in the Army National Guard for 13 years. For 15 years of Scott’s furniture career he acted as the Operations Manager for one of the largest furniture stores in Kansas. His expertise is in floor display design, warehouse design, delivery routing, consignment furniture, and implementation of computer systems’ functionality. Scott had a dream to run a business based on customer service, industry knowledge, and superior efficiencies. Lytton’s Furniture opened its doors in 2008 and continues to focus on Scott’s dream. Scott can be contacted at 316-425-7078. |
Home Furnishings
2010-01-01 15:32:00
Increasing home values from the inside
Answer: Yes. Your prudence will serve you well. The home is often the biggest investment people will have in their lives. You are right. All too often, doing the things necessary to protect, improve and enhance this value are left unattended until they are ready to sell. A home should be like a business. One should do the things to “groom” a business for sale from the first day that business begins to operate. So too should be the case for one’s home. The value of a home comes down to how much money someone else is willing to pay to buy it. An appraisal value is based on comparing your home to other similar homes in the same area. The person performing the appraisal must also rate the condition of the property, considering any upgrades or additions. While the appraisal process tends to be rather subjective, there are some things you can do to enhance a home’s appeal and increase its value from the inside, on an ongoing basis.
Here are some of those things:
1. Remove any clutter in the home and put high-wattage bulbs in lamps and ceiling lights.
2. Store collectibles or personal items you really do not need somewhere else. You want your house to look well lit, clean and organized.
3. Consider hiring a cleaning service to add sparkle and shine. A cleaning service will generally spot things needing attended to long before the owner will.
4. Make improvements to the main living space, not in the basement. While having added space in the basement may be a positive perk, people are usually much more interested in the condition of the rooms where they will do most of their daily living.
5. Repaint walls a neutral color for a fresh, clean look.
6. Add crown molding around the living room ceiling for a more sophisticated appeal.
7. Update the kitchen with new energy-saving appliances and plumbing fixtures. Although replacing old kitchen cabinets can be expensive, according to a joint report by Remodeling and Realtor Magazines, even a modest kitchen remodel can increase the value of your home substantially. If new, wood kitchen cabinets are more than your budget can handle, apply a fresh coat of paint and install modern, decorative cabinet hardware.
8. Install a water filtration system in the kitchen. The improvement is inexpensive, but it’s an amenity that most people are bound to appreciate. Mount decorative ceiling fans in rooms that get high visibility.
9. Remodel the bathroom with a focus on making it more functional. The quality of the bathroom fixtures can make all the difference.
10. Replace dirty or worn carpeting. New carpet can revitalize the look of your home at an affordable cost.
11. Increase the value of your property by installing a home security system. The price tag is reasonable, and the addition will always be a big selling point, especially if your home is located in an urban area.
12. Invest in quality furnishings. There are several reasons for this. First, quality furnishings will keep you looking at your home from the inside, from the perspective of the most discriminating buyer. They will cause you to see things differently…things that might need attention…modifications and improvements that you can make that will compliment the overall look and feel of your home. Second, you will be ready to show your home on a moment’s notice, as you already have in place…what you would want...if you were going to sell. Third, while you may want to take your furnishings with you, quite often you will get more than what you paid for them by leaving them and negotiating the price to include them. Lastly, you will enjoy your home more with quality furnishings. Furnishing should be to a home what good bookkeeping records are to a business. You can run a business under the old system of ledger books and old accounting practices. Or, you can run a business with the newest software, with all of the entries correct, with reconciling points, in a very organized reporting form, complete with charts, graphs and the ability to pull history from any area. Someone looking to buy a business with the latter in place will pay much more.
